Initial D: R Stage the Fanfic
by Woulf Type R
Summary: On a standard tofu run, Takumi is chased and passed by a black Integra Type R. Who is this stranger, and more importantly, can Takumi keep up?
1. Initial Run

Author's Note: Initial D and characters are property of Shuichi Shigeno. The DC2 is property of Honda, the AE86 is property of Toyota, and the FC3S and FD3S are both properties of Mazda. Blah, blah, blah ON WITH THE SHOW!

Announcer: Initial D! R Stage the Fanfic!

4:15 AM - Lake Akina Hotel.

A young man strolled from the hotel, moving toward a black Integra Type R, better known as an ITR or DC2 among gearheads. He pulled the keys from his pocket and twirled the ring around his index finger. Suddenly a familiar scent played in his nose. It smelled of 93 octane? Racing gas! Someone around here was a racer. He looked around, but the only other operating automobile was a dinky little hatchback.

Turning his body quickly, he moved on the panda car. He read the sticker on the side. "Fujiwara Tofu" he said to himself. An old Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX, an Eight-Six, was delivering tofu to a hotel on the top of a mountain. This was something worth investigating.

He went back to his car and waited until the driver returned. He stared hard, calculating and analyzing. He watched as the lights flipped up and on. He listened as the 4A-G started up, noting it was far different than any Hachi-Roku he'd ever raced. A custom exhaust? No, too obvious. Engine transplant? But it was an Eight-Six! Nobody would ever bother putting an engine like THAT into a car like that.

As the panda Trueno left the parking lot, the black ITR followed. He tailed the car for a while, then flashed his bright lights on the initial straightaway. Time to see what this dated AE86 could do.

Takumi looked in his rearview mirror, squinting as the black ITR flashed its high beams. "What's going on?" he questioned himself. His only response was to press harder on the accelerator. "I was going to take it easy this morning, but it's hardly worth it to get passed. Let's see what you've got!"

The DC2 driver grinned, pressing the accelerator to the floor. He moved to the outside line as the first left hander approched. He shifted up to fourth, making the turn look easy. He was even with the aging drift machine now, and he glanced at the driver. He waved politely and eased past. He shifted again to fifth, sliding gently into corner two. Perhaps this wasn't the best time, but he remembered how he meant to preview the course.

Takumi blinked at the taillights in front of him. He'd been passed before, but this guy did it easily. Oh well, he'd just play it cool and let his skill shine. He watched as the black car made the tight right hairpin with ease. He wasn't using his best braking drift, but that car shouldn't be pulling away like that.

The type R driver smirked. That was too easy. Obviously this Eight-Six was just for effect. He knew a kid couldn't keep up with him. The DC2 was too well made. He was too great of a driver. This was too damn easy!

Takumi stared at the dark vehicle before him. This wasn't right to him. He was undefeated on Akina. Only his father should be able to beat him! He watched in horror as the DC2 pulled further and further away after every single corner. Every tight hairpin, every high-speed corner, every miniscule straightaway, he was beaten through them all. He used his best drift, his perfect shifting technique, and he still had to squint to see the taillights of the Integra. Finally, just after the five hairpins he saw yellow hazard lights. He pulled into the emergency stop area behind the DC2 and stepped out.

The ITR driver also removed himself from his current form of transportation and opted to walk for a bit, right towards his befuddled prey.

"Not bad." The man commented. "I was expecting more of a delay in your arrival." He glanced at the stopwatch in his hand. "A mere three point two five seconds before you pulled in behind me. I was expecting more like twenty of thirty."

"Who are you?" Takumi asked, wondering why this guy had timed his deficit.

"I'll tell you," the driver said "but first I want to see you engine."

Takumi looked at him strangely.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude. My name is Wantanabe Toshiro. And you are?"

"Fujiwara Takumi. But my friends just call me Takumi."

"Since we're on a first name basis, you may call me Woulf."

Takumi eyed him again.

"I believe you owe me a peek under the hood?"

"I owe you nothing, Woulf."

"Hey, you look like the type that's king of his mountain, right?"

Takumi simply looked aside.

"I thought so. Look, this wasn't even a race, I just passed you at the peak, and I don't think anyone saw that. I don't even remember it happening anymore."

Takumi got a thoughtful look on his face. This man, Woulf, piqued is interest even more than Sudo Kyoichi had.

"Hey, I'm only in Akina for a short while. Why don't we give the downhill a serious run Saturday night? Say around, 10 PM? I'd like to race the Fujiwara Tofu car again when the start dash is even." He turned around and opened the door to his car. He turned his head back to look at Takumi. "I still want to see that engine of yours. I know it's a 4A-G, but it sounds nice. However you got that engine, it's a true gem."

With those few words Takumi was left in the darkness of the early morning hours of Akina.

A/N - R&R please! Tell me if you like it or not, because I have a huge story line planned out already and it's getting posted soon! Ja ne!


	2. Initial Return

Author's Note: Initial D and characters are property of Shuichi Shigeno. The DC2, AP1, and EK9 are property of Honda, the AE86 is property of Toyota, and the FC3S and FD3S are both properties of Mazda. Blah, blah, blah ON WITH THE SHOW!

Announcer: Initial D! R Stage the Fanfic!

Act II - Initial Return

6:25 AM - Lake Akina Hotel

Woulf's black ITR entered the parking lot. He scanned around for the other two drivers that came with him. Finally he spotted a space, directly between Michael's S2000 (AP1) and another car. Michael was a strange one. He had moved here from America such a short time ago, but was adjusting well.

Of course, Woulf thought it odd that he had insisted on importing an exported car. Left-hand drive was something Michael had grown accustomed to in the U.S. He said that shifting with his left hand was far too strange and would take him too long to adjust. Woulf just let it be and allowed Michael the storage space for the car.

Slowly Woulf approached the hotel, twirling his keys around his finger. His other teammate, Sakamoto Akiko, was waiting for him at the door.

"So, handsome" she said as he reached the door. "Where have you been for the past two hours?"

"None of your business Akiko" he replied as he entered the hotel. She put out her cigarette and followed him.

"Oh yeah?" She stuffed her hands into her back pockets as she walked behind him, strutting. "I heard your ITR's tires squealing up and down the mountain all morning. You were previewing Akina's pass, weren't you?"

"So what if I was?" He stopped in the lobby to get a cup of coffee.

"We're ALL supposed to run the course TOGETHER, Toshiro! You know that! You should have waited until Michael and I woke up before you started! Why did you run it without us?"

"Because I saw something I liked and I chased it. Does that answer you question?" He walked to the elevator and pressed the call button.

"What, another ITR, an EK9 like mine maybe? C'mon already, let's hear it."

"It wasn't anything you'd expect for this place. Let's just say Saturday will be fun." The elevator doors opened with a gentle ding. Both stepped inside as Woulf took a sip of his coffee.

"Explain, please. I have to know what you're going up against. I MUST know!"

"Alright." He sighed heavily. "I wanted to wait until Saturday to show you, but I can't handle you bugging me about it like last week. It's an Eight-Six with a special 4A-G. Sounds like one from Group A, but without the VVT controller."

"VVT? What's that?"

"It's like the VTEC in our engines. It surprises me that this engine wouldn't have one, but all it means is that the engine only performs at high revs."

"Okay, so what's so special about that?"

"Because TRD tuned this engine. It's a 1.6-liter engine for use in a Group A AE101, two generations past the Eight-Six. At eleven thousand rpm this engine pushes as much horsepower as Michael's AP1. It was only a few seconds behind me this morning."

The elevator dinged. Woulf sipped his coffee again and approached his room.

"Don't worry about it Akiko" he smiled as he opened the door. "I won't make you go up against this guy. I'll handle this one myself."

6:10 PM - GS Station

Itsuki and Iketani stared at Takumi blankly, unable to believe what he had just told them.

"Yeah," Takumi said in his normal, out of it voice. "I couldn't believe it myself. Even with the new engine and the high grip tires I just installed, I was still slightly slower through the corners."

"Ta-Ta-Takumi lost!?!?" Itsuki whined as tears started to build up in his eyes. His best friend, the driver of Akina's legendary Eight-Six, was beaten by a lowly DC2.

"Not really. I mean, he said that he just passed me and tore down the mountain. He even said it didn't count. But this guy, he's eerie. You know how Takahashi Ryosuke can tell you everything about a car just by how it sounds?"

Both fledgling road racers stared at him again, listening intently.

"Well, this guy can do the same thing. He knew about my engine, probably my tires and high-octane gas, too. He even knew I was the fastest around here."

Iketani's eyes were wide, almost as if he had just seen a pretty girl walk by.

"Hey, Takumi." He stuttered, trying to snap out of his trance. "Are you going to race him?"

"Well, yeah. I don't want anyone to think I'm a coward. It just feels strange."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I remember how it felt when the Redsuns first showed up on Akina and challenged us. It was almost like a dream."

"Yeah," Itsuki butted in. "But Takumi took Takahashi Keisuke down the next week in a super downhill battle!"

Takumi and Iketani just stared at Itsuki like he was a moron.

"Eh heh. I'll just be over here" He scooted away and started sweeping the driveway.

6:12 PM - Fujiwara Tofu Shop

The phone rang inside. Fujiwara Bunta picked it up, taking the smoke out of his mouth.

"Ah, mushi-mushi."

"BUNTA!" Yelled the manager of the GS station through the phone. "I have unbelievable news!"

"What are you bothering me for? I never call you when you're working."

"But your son, Takumi, was beaten buy a guy in an ITR this morning"

"I could have told you that. I noticed it in the Eight-Six and Takumi's mood when he got home. Stop calling me with such trivial things."

"Hey, Bunta, Bunta!" Bunta promptly hung up on Yuichi.

A/N - Okay, that's Act II! Stay tuned for more in Act III, when there's dissention among the ranks of the Honda team! Can Woulf keep the team together? Find out next time on Initial D: R Stage the Fanfic!


	3. Initial Rev

Author's Note: Initial D and characters are property of Shuichi Shigeno. The DC2, AP1, and EK9 are property of Honda, the AE86 is property of Toyota, and the FC3S and FD3S are both properties of Mazda. Blah, blah, blah ON WITH THE SHOW!  
  
Announcer: Initial D! R Stage the Fanfic!  
  
Act II - Initial Rev  
  
Saturday - 11 AM - Lake Akina Hotel  
  
"Woulf, you're being stupid! You won last time because he doesn't have VVT on that engine. He'll bust your balls if you race him. You're in a front wheel drive! You can't win in the corners by busting out pure speed! Sure, you can shift the load. Yeah, you can heal-and-toe. You can do lots of goofy shit in that DC2 that rear wheel drive just can't handle. But it's HIS course, with a car that is lighter and more powerful than yours. You can not win."  
  
Woulf simply looked up at Michael. "Are you finished?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good"  
  
Woulf reached back and slapped Michael as hard as he could.  
  
"Don't you ever, EVER disrespect me again! I gave you a place to stay when you moved here. I cosigned with you on the loan for your ridiculous left- hand drive car. And now YOU have the nerve to tell ME what to do? Don't EVER forget who leads this team, pays for your upgrades, and KEEPS YOU ALIVE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"  
  
Michael looked up at him and replied with a simple "Hai." He still hadn't gotten used to the respect factor in Japan, but he was willing to pay the price for learning.  
  
Woulf took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Do you think you can take him on in a drift match?"  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"Then do it. I hate having to pick up your slack."  
  
9:45 PM - Akina's Peak  
  
The galleries were packed. Word traveled fast across the plains. An unknown team was making a challenge at Akina's Eight-Six. This was legendary. Nobody had ever popped from the woodwork like this to challenge an undefeated driver.  
  
Iketani looked on as three Hondas pulled from the parking lot of the hotel. A DC2, followed by an EK9 and an AP1. He wondered why the challenger was leading. Shouldn't he be in back to take the starting position? The front- runners passed the start line while the silver AP1 stayed back.  
  
The crowd gasped. Something had changed! The DC2 had been replaced by an AP1! This guy in a hardtop S2000 was going to challenge the Eight-Six!  
  
9:46 PM - Fujiwara Tofu Shop  
  
"Hey, old man, I need the car."  
  
"Hmm?" Bunta pondered as he looked up from his newspaper. "What for?"  
  
"Some guy in an ITR wants to race down the mountain."  
  
"Sure. Just don't forget the delivery in the morning. I don't want you wandering all over the road and spilling my profit."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Takumi snatched the keys from the hook and walked out to his Trueno.  
  
9:48 PM - Akina's peak  
  
Two RX-7s rounded the final bend on Mount Akina's uphill. Women screamed, men cheered, and the Takahashi brothers were soaking it up. Ever since Keisuke was beaten by Akina's Eight-Six, they had both come to every scheduled race. They had to learn more about this kid from the grasslands of Akina and how to beat him.  
  
Ryosuke climbed from his FC first, followed by Keisuke from his FD. The former set up his laptop on the hood of his car, as the latter simply looked over his shoulder.  
  
"So, brother. Who do you think will win this battle?"  
  
"It's hard to say, Keisuke. It seems as though the line up has changed a bit. That AP1 has lined up at the peak, not the DC2 as we had heard." Ryosuke pointed to the only place that wasn't filled by onlookers or cars: the road. "Take a look and see for yourself."  
  
Keisuke turned just in time to see an American driver speaking broken Japanese to an uninterested crowd.  
  
"So what's the deal? Where's your precious Eight-Six already?" Michael was confident as ever. He was sitting on his precious S2000 like he was king of the road. "We're all waiting for a show, so let's have one, huh?"  
  
The crowd was silent. Akiko leaned over to Woulf.  
  
"Which is bigger, his mouth or his engine?"  
  
"I'd say that's a universal mystery."  
  
Akiko took a long drag from her cigarette before checking her watch.  
  
"It's five minutes to ten. You think he'll show up?"  
  
"He'll show. They always show. But the local heroes always have to make an entrance."  
  
Akiko chuckled as she moved from he EK9 to snuggle up to Woulf's arm. He simply stared down the road.  
  
9:58 PM - Mount Akina Hairpin #1  
  
"There it is!" an onlooker shouted, pointing at a panda Trueno that made it's way around the bend. "It's the Fujiwara Tofu car! Akina's Eight-Six is here!"  
  
All the girls around screamed and yelled at the car. Takumi still didn't quite understand all the fuss. His eyes widened as he reached the peak and saw a shiny silver Honda S2000 waiting for him, with a strange looking man sitting on the hood leering at him.  
  
Takumi passed by and performed a "K" turn to line up next to the AP1. He noticed the bold black decal across the back that read "Dangan Ginsei." (Bullet Made of Silver)  
  
Michael smirked. Nobody could touch him, not even an over-hyped Eight-Six.  
  
Takumi opened the door of his car and looked at Michael, who grinned in response.  
  
"What is going on here?" he asked, staring directly at Woulf. "You told me you and I were to race tonight."  
  
"I know," Woulf replied with a slight smile. "But I figured if you can't beat him, you've got no business going against me. That's an opponent more of your style. He's a drifter, like you. It's an AP1 Fujiwara, FR layout like yours. It's got the same horsepower rating as well. Let's see what you've got. You beat him, and we race tonight. You lose, and you go home with a broken reputation. Are we clear?"  
  
"Yeah." Takumi turned to the amerikajin, staring him down. "I didn't mean to race you tonight, but I wish you luck. If I have to beat you to get to him, then so be it." He sat back down and buckled in. He stepped on the clutch and gently revved the engine.  
  
"Race time!" Michael shouted, clambering into his AP1. The racing seats and hardtop made it a tight squeeze, but once inside everything was perfect.  
  
Akiko made her way between the two cars.  
  
"Ready?" she asked, pointing at Takumi. He revved as a response. "Ready?" she asked as she pointed at Michael. He pressed the clutch and thumbed the red start button, kicking over the 2.0-liter monster that was the AP1's engine.  
  
"Ready!" She raised her arms. "Go!"  
  
AP1:  
  
FR Layout  
  
2.0-liter 4-cyl engine  
  
240 HP  
  
LSD  
  
High-grip tires  
  
"Yon! San!"  
  
AE86:  
  
FR Layout  
  
1.6-liter 4A-G 4-cyl engine  
  
240 HP  
  
Unknown Modifications  
  
"Ni! Ichi! GO!" Her arms dropped as she kneeled down to the ground. Both cars took off in a blaze on either side of her.  
  
A/N - And they're off! Act IV continues later with the race between Takumi and Michael! That S2000 has a lot of Mugen bits on it! But is it really too heavy for a serious downhill run? Or will it's near 50/50 weight distribution play a key role in this downhill battle to the limit? Don't miss the next exciting chapter of Initial D: R Stage the Fanfic! 


	4. Initial Race

Author's Note: Initial D and characters are property of Shuichi Shigeno. The DC2, AP1, and EK9 are property of Honda, the AE86 is property of Toyota, and the FC3S and FD3S are both properties of Mazda. Blah, blah, blah ON WITH THE SHOW!  
  
Announcer: Initial D! R Stage the Fanfic!  
  
Act IV - Initial Race  
  
10:01 PM - Akina Downhill  
  
The race had begun. Tire squealed, engines roared, and Michael's engine size advantage shot him into the lead. His "Silver Bullet" started off with a commanding lead. The crowd let out a series of "oohs" and "aahs," obviously impressed by this display of sheer torque of the AP1.  
  
Down the initial straightaway they flew, Michael leading by a good 30 meters. Takumi sat in his Eight-Six, cool as he was with every opponent he had faced. He knew his cornering skills were better, and that S2000 looked grossly overweight compared to his car.  
  
Michael blew through the third corner, a sharp hairpin to the right, drifting with a precision that rivaled Takumi's. He grinned through the easy left, then used a load-shift-initiated drift through corners five and six. He took a peek in his rearview mirror to see how far behind that under- powered old rust bucket was. Doing a double-take, he looked again, his eyes wide.  
  
The nose of Takumi's car was nearly scraping his custom Mugen rear bumper! Michael couldn't believe it! He could barely see the flip-up lights of that Eight-Six, and it looked like he was still gaining!  
  
"Hmm," Takumi thought to himself. "It seems like there is a large weight difference between his car and mine, but it's not affecting him like I thought it would."  
  
Both cars blew through corner seven, using near-flawless braking drifts through corners eight and nine. Michael breathed a small sigh of relief. There was a straight away here, he could get some breathing room now. He floored the accelerator and watched the Hachi-Roku fall slightly behind. It wasn't exactly drift vs. drift anymore. This was a pure power section. The high-speed left ahead would help him put more space between them. Or so he thought. But then it got trickier.  
  
"He's pushing me to new limits," Michael stated out loud. "I've never been pushed like this. This Eight-Six is the fastest I've ever seen. It's going to get pretty bad here soon; my torque advantage isn't as great on the downhill. Sure, I can power through a turn better than he can, but he doesn't have to slow down as much as I do..." He slapped his forehead. "The weight difference! Of course! I was so afraid of upsetting the balance, I didn't want to lighten the car!"  
  
The high-speed left pushed Michael only ahead by a mere 40 meters, not really any difference to Takumi. There was another hairpin up ahead; he could make up for lost ground there. He watched the AP1 turn sideways and power through the rest of the corner. The American was fast, but he knew his hairpin techniques could keep up with this guy.  
  
Before the crowd knew what hit them, the Eight-six was nearly rubbing the S2000's backside again. Another hairpin after a high-speed straight away, and another parallel drift from these two super drift masters.  
  
Michael gripped the wheel hard. He ran through the practice runs in his head. "High-speed right, keep it drifting, high-speed left. Good. The five hairpins are straight ahead. Shift down, SHIFT DOWN! Turn in and counter steer! Steer to the right, the left, the right, and the left. One more to go, it's to the right, speed up on the straight and nail it!"  
  
Takumi followed his every move with the precision of a scalpel in the hands of a heart surgeon. Michael was getting better through the race; the harder Takumi pushed, the more he learned. He used another drift through the left- hander. It was time to settle this.  
  
Michael was sweating hard now. This guy had stayed on his tail through the entire race. He pulled through the second left. Just one more hairpin and he could power through the rest of the course. Just one more hairpin to go.  
  
"Just one more," Takumi said to himself, "and you're done."  
  
It was a right. Takumi had noticed Michael was weak in rights.  
  
Michael moved to the outside. Takumi took his chance.  
  
It was too early. He had set up for the corner too early, and it would be his demise. Takumi dove in, kamikaze style. He slipped into a perfect braking drift, leaving the S2000 to suck exhaust through its Mugen air box. All Takumi had to do now was block any passing maneuvers and take the inside on the final hairpin.  
  
But Michael was relentless. He wouldn't give up, even though he knew he was beaten. He continued to chase the Eight-Six, almost bumping Takumi twice in the high-speed sections. The last turn came up, and Takumi took the inside line. The cars came out nearly side-by-side, but Takumi still won by a nose.  
  
The crowd cheered loudly. It was truly a battle to the limit, and they had been at the finish line. They watched as Michael slowly climbed from his S2000 and flagged Takumi back into the stop area.  
  
Takumi pulled up to Michael and stepped out. He shut the door and looked the American square in the eyes.  
  
"Arigato," Michael said with a bow, "it was a pleasure racing you." He stood up and extended his hand.  
  
Takumi eyed it warily for a moment, but accepted the handshake. Michael gave it a firm squeeze.  
  
"Go back up there and beat the pants off that asshole." Michael said with a grin. "Knock him off his high-horse."  
  
"I will." Takumi responded, climbing back into his car.  
  
Michael slid into his own, and both drivers started the climb back up the mountain.  
  
A/N - That's it for Act IV! It seems as though Michael doesn't want Woulf to win. Does he have a newfound respect for Takumi? Is it his desire to beat Woulf as well? Find out next time on Initial D: R Stage the Fanfic! 


	5. Initial Rematch

Author's Note: Initial D and characters are property of Shuichi Shigeno. The DC2, AP1, and EK9 are property of Honda, the AE86 is property of Toyota, and the FC3S and FD3S are both properties of Mazda. Blah, blah, blah ON WITH THE SHOW!  
  
Announcer: Initial D! R Stage the Fanfic!  
  
Act V - Initial Rematch  
  
The hill climb was a slow one. Takumi needed a little break between races. He breathed deep from the air coming in through the now-open window. He sighed gently, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Now he could finally settle up with that black ITR.  
  
Takumi hated losing. He'd only lost once before. Sudo Kyouichi had won by default when the old 4A-GE had blown. His voice echoed in Takumi's mind. "If you blow an engine, you lose."  
  
Michael, on the other hand, was fairly calm. He'd given it his best shot and lost. It was cool. He'd always been like that. He talked a lot, but when it came down to business, he was pretty straightforward and cool- headed.  
  
There was really only one thing on his mind. If Woulf lost, Michael could make his challenge. Then he would control the Honda Power Team, and he could make the changes he wanted.  
  
After 10 minutes, both cars reached the top. Woulf, anticipating Michael's loss, had already lined up. Takumi turned around and lined up beside him, then exited his Sprinter.  
  
"Woulf, show yourself." He demanded, quite uncharacteristically. All the spectators turned to see this confrontation.  
  
"What do you want, little Trueno boy?" Woulf asked as he climbed from his ITR. "You want to make a final statement before your precious car ends up at the bottom of the valley?"  
  
"Just so you understand, you altered the deal. I'm only doing this so I can repay you for that stunt earlier this week. I've beaten guys like you before, and I'll do it again tonight." He climbed back into his car and slammed the door. He revved the engine twice, causing Woulf to enter his own vehicle.  
  
Akiko stepped out into the street and raised her arms.  
  
"Ready?" Takumi and Woulf revved their engines in response, signaling they were both ready.  
  
"Ready!" She raised her arms. "Go!"  
  
DC2:  
  
FF Layout  
  
1.8-liter 4-cyl engine  
  
239 HP  
  
Racing air cleaner/muffler  
  
Racing ECU  
  
High-grip tires  
  
"Yon! San!"  
  
AE86:  
  
FR Layout  
  
1.6-liter 4A-G 4-cyl engine  
  
240 HP  
  
Still unknown modifications  
  
"Ni! Ichi! GO!"  
  
Akiko dropped her arms and ran between the two cars. Takumi's rear end squatted as if the front end was about to lift off the ground. Woulf burst ahead in an uncontrolled spurt of forward motion.  
  
It was pure magic for Takumi, and disaster for Woulf. He had missed the clutch engagement pretty bad. The air smelled of burnt clutch, but Woulf had still puled ahead slightly. He quickly compensated by nailing the second gear upshift and pulling ahead a bit more.  
  
Both cars flew through the corners, Takumi ever on Woulf's backside. Woulf would pull away on all the short straight-aways, but Takumi's Eight-Six would always catch up in the corners.  
  
An automotive writer once called the DC2 "a scalpel among steak knives." It's a question of weather that person had ever seen Takumi drive or not. It was apparent that front wheel drive could never truly compete with a master of the drifting arts.  
  
The five hairpins were coming up now. Woulf knew they could spell his doom if he wasn't careful. He'd stopped just after this point in the previous race because of the disadvantage in corners.  
  
Takumi slid into his usual braking drift around the first hairpin, using a counter-steer load shift to stay drifting through the second, third, and fourth. He sped up on the small straight away, taking the inside line away from Woulf.  
  
Woulf looked into his rearview mirror, and saw nothing. "Heh," he thought to himself. "I knew that Eight-Six couldn't keep up with me. Suddenly he heard a strange noise on his right. Slowly he turned his eyes to the side and saw something he'd never expected. He saw a white hood, with two black lights peeking over the top.  
  
"No freaking way!" He slammed on the gas, trying to keep up, but to no avail. Takumi nailed the corner and forced Woulf on the outside. He barely avoided hitting the guardrail on the hairpin right, the last of the series. A slightly easier left put him even further behind.  
  
Takumi sighed with relief. He could finally drive normally all the way to the bottom. The black ITR fell further behind in every corner, the headlights were barely visible now.  
  
It was a different story in Woulf's car. He kept trying to make his car go faster. He tapped the clutch to rev up the engine. He pressed the gas nearly trough the floor. He watched as the taillights of the Eight-Six pulled further and further away from him. His futile efforts continued, but did him no good. By the time he reached the bottom of the hill, Takumi was long gone into the city.  
  
Woulf did a U-turn in the street and headed back up as fast as he could.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Michael had lined up his S2000 in the road. Akiko hung from his arm, twirling her nail on his skin.  
  
"You know, I think you'd be a much better leader than him." She said, whispering English in his ear.  
  
"Get off me, bitch." He jerked his arm away from her. "You're every bit as bad as he is. You're only with the one that can benefit you the most. Go sit by your ugly EK9 and get the hell away from me."  
  
"Fine, asshole. I don't want you're ugly American butt anyway." She flipped her hair and sauntered back to her car.  
  
A/N - That's it for Act V! It seems that Michael is about to make his challenge for the #1 spot within the Honda Power Team! Can he beat Woulf? Is it worth the risk? What are the stakes? Find out in the next chapter on Initial D: R Stage the Fanfic! Initial R Conclusion! 


	6. Initial R Conclusion

Author's Note: Initial D and characters are property of Shuichi Shigeno. The DC2, AP1, and EK9 are property of Honda, the AE86 is property of Toyota, and the FC3S and FD3S are both properties of Mazda. Blah, blah, blah ON WITH THE SHOW!  
  
Announcer: Initial D! R Stage the Fanfic!  
  
Act VI - Initial Resolution  
  
Woulf's black DC2 made it over the final hill, only to see Michael perched on his AP1, waiting for him. He parked the car next to him and stepped out, glaring at his "teammate."  
  
"What the hell are you doing? Get off the road! The night is over for us." Woulf shouted.  
  
"It's over, Woulf. It all ends here, tonight, on Akina," Michael retorted, staring at his would-be leader.  
  
"Right, whatever. You really want to race me? Have you completely forgotten that I beat you less than two weeks ago when we decided to come here?"  
  
"Are you refusing a challenge? I wonder what this crowd would think if you turned me down? You've already lost one race tonight, why not one more?"  
  
Woulf was now fuming. He got back in his car and slammed the door. He raced to the end of the guardrails and did an E-brake U-turn, then lined up next to the AP1. Then Michael climbed back into his car and fired up the engine. Akiko stood between them, holding her arms up.  
  
Iketani, Itsuki, and Kenji watched from the side in bewilderment.  
  
"Iketani-sempai, what are they doing?" asked a confused Itsuki.  
  
"Whenever a team member doesn't like leadership," Iketani responded, "he always has the right to challenge the leader. If the American wins, then the ITR driver gets shuffled down where the challenger was."  
  
"You mean how Takumi could always challenge you to lead the Speed Stars?"  
  
"Yes," Iketani replied nervously, "just like that."  
  
Akiko looked at both drivers, who weren't even interested in her anymore. She scoffed and screamed out the countdown. "GO! YON! SAN! NI! ICH!" She dropped her arms and yelled "GO!"  
  
Both cars tore off the line, leaving behind white clouds of smoke. Akiko coughed and dusted herself off, heading back to her car. Back on the downhill, things were not so calm.  
  
Michael had taken a slight lead by the first corner, and extended it on the short straight and load shifting into the right. Woulf seemed to dive into the corners harder, but Michael was exiting much faster.  
  
The easy right in the next corner set up his drift through the following left. The further the two Hondas got down Akina mountain, the more distance came between their drivers.  
  
Woulf was getting even more aggravated now, and began chasing harder. Gradually, he began closing the gap, and was soon back on Michael's bumper. They were now entering the tenth corner, and Woulf was only centimeters from Michael. He tried to slip to the inside, but the AP1 's nose left him with almost no room. They lined up in the straight-away and entered the next two easy corners side-by-side.  
  
Faster they sped, toward the five hairpins. Then, just before the first right, it happened. Michael hadn't noticed, but there wasn't any room for him to load shift.  
  
He moved to the left, slamming into Woulf's driver side door. The impact shook up both drivers, sending them into panic mode. Woulf pulled away, narrowly avoiding the guardrail. Michael dove right, entering the corner at high speed. Woulf quickly regained his composure, and saw a golden opportunity. He slowed down to enter the corner, downshifted, and pressed the gas to the floor.  
  
While Michael was struggling to control his drift, he felt Woulf slam into his rear. He lost control of the car and spun out, while Woulf continued to press harder. Woulf dragged on past him, entering the short straight.  
  
Michael regained control, barely missing the guardrail on either side of him. His tires smoked as he tore through the straight and following corner. He'd lost a lot of ground, but he wasn't about to lose to a dirty trick like that. He flew through the next four hairpins at incredible speed, knowing that Woulf was slower here.  
  
Finally, on the last straight patch of road, he was at Woulf's rear. He'd caught him, and wasn't going to let go. He drafted behind the black Integra, having Woulf pull him along. At the last right-hand corner, he made his move. He lined up inside, and pulled through. Both cars were even again, and it was a showdown of pure power.  
  
All the spectators peered down the road, trying to see who would pull ahead. Both drivers were pushing their hardest. The final left loomed ahead. Woulf was on the inside, but Michael was ahead by only a little. Michael only had one shot, and he took it.  
  
He set up a very high angle drift, cutting Woulf off. Woulf had to slow down or he'd end up down in the parking lot. They crossed the finish with the AP1 leading by only half a car length.  
  
The DC2 came to a halt, but Michael kept driving off into the night. He wouldn't stop, not for anything.  
  
A/N - That's it. I'm done. Yay! Or boo if you will. Feh, it needed a conclusion. 


End file.
